elections.ab.ca The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly

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1 elections.ab.ca The Report on the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election of the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly

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3 July 28, 2008 Mr. Leonard Mitzel, Chairman Standing Committee on Legislative Offices Legislature Building Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2B6 Dear Mr. Mitzel: I have the privilege to enclose the Report of the Chief Electoral Officer concerning the 2008 Provincial General Election, which was conducted on Monday, March 3, Information on the target enumeration process conducted in each electoral division is included. Recommendations for amendments to the Election Act, the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, and the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act are also included for review and consideration. This Report is submitted pursuant to the provisions of Section 4(3) of the Election Act. Should you require clarification or additional information on anything contained in the Report, I would be pleased to respond. Sincerely, Lorne R. Gibson Chief Electoral Officer

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5 TABLE OF CONTENTS REMARKS OF THE CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER... 1 PREPARATION FOR THE ELECTION Overview... 3 Development of the Lists of Electors... 3 Table 1: Lists of Electors Increases/Decreases... 5 Table 2: Information Contained in the Register of Electors... 7 Appointment of Returning Officers Review of Lists of Electors and Mapping Resources Target Enumeration Table 3: Target Enumeration Activity Challenges ELECTION PERIOD ACTIVITIES Overview Key Dates Special Initiatives Communications Strategy Online Voter Registration Ballot Redesign Election Training Staff Recruitment Scrutineer Involvement Nominated Candidates Special Ballot Polls Advance Polls Mobile Polls Polling Day Additions to the Lists of Electors Table 4: Lists of Electors Updates within the Election Period Quality of the Lists of Electors Table 5: Completeness of the Lists of Electors POST-ELECTION ACTIVITIES Quality of Service Received by Electors Official Results Custody and Inspection of Election Documents Distribution of Poll Books Judicial Recount Controverted Election Petition Development and Distribution of the Post-Polling Day Lists of Electors i -

6 FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES Target Enumeration Expenses Fees and Associated Costs Table 6: 2008 Target Enumeration Cost Summary by Electoral Division Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act Information Information Sessions Candidate Registrations Candidates Campaign Period Financial Statements Candidates Deposits Event Cost Summary Cost per Voter Breakdown and Comparison Election Expenses Fees and Associated Costs Table 7: 2008 General Election Cost Summary by Electoral Division Fee Schedule Fees and Expenses Regulation ISSUES AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS Challenges of the 2008 Provincial General Election Process of Returning Officers Appointments Lists of Electors Line-ups at Polling Places Locations of Returning Officers Offices and Polling Places Polling Places on University Campuses and Temporary Work Sites Campaign Signs Near Polling Places Identification Requirements Information Regarding Where to Vote Special Ballots not Received on Time to be Counted RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS October 2006 Recommendations for Amendments to the Election Act (The Act) Substantive Election Officer Recruitment 1. Returning Officer and Election Clerk appointment process Prohibition against political activity Role of the Returning Officer 3. Voting prohibition Involvement of federal Returning Officers in provincial elections Establishment of a Fixed Election Date 5. Selection of the election date Staffing for Enumerations and Elections 6. Political parties supplying enumerators Reducing the age requirement of poll clerks Staffing of poll clerk position Ineligibility of convicted persons to serve as election officers ii -

7 Management of the Register and Lists of Electors 10. Data acquisition from public agencies Data elements contained in the Register Address data contained in the Register Revision of Register data by an individual Removal of elector information for Secure Special Ballot voters Use of Poll Books containing the List of Electors Public Information 16. Provision of election information to voters Disclosure of campaign advertisers Restrictions on advertising Voting Process 19. Confirmation of identity for Special Ballot voting Transmission of Special Ballots Restrictions on Advance Poll voting Prohibition on voters depositing ballots into the ballot box Ballot Content 23. Amendment to prescribed ballot content Inmate Participation 24. Inmate voting prohibition Time Limit on Collecting from a Candidate 25. Limitation of two months for collection of a campaign debt Chief Electoral Officer Duties and Powers 26. Investigative powers Time limit on prosecutions Recommendations to the Legislative Assembly Protection from legal action October 2006 Recommendations for Amendments to the Election Act (The Act) Housekeeping Addition of Definitions 30. Definition of advertising Definition of declined ballot Definition of rejected ballot Senior Management Appointments 33. Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Compensation adjustment process for Chief Electoral Officer position iii -

8 Recruitment of Election Clerks and Administrative Assistants 35. Administrative Assistant selection process Retention of the oaths of election officer Hiring of family members by the Returning Officer Candidate Nomination Process 38. Requirement for the filing of original documents Method for submitting a nomination deposit Nomination deposit refund Candidates ceasing to be nominated Effective Date of Legislative Amendments 42. Implementing legislative amendments October 2006 Recommendations for Amendments to the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure (EFCD) Act Substantive 1. Annual reporting Candidates nomination deposits Excess and prohibited contributions Identification of controlled corporations Consistent use of the principle of ordinary residence Information required for financial statements Fund-raising events Records of contributions Time limit on prosecutions October 2006 Recommendations for Amendments to the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure (EFCD) Act Housekeeping 10. Significance of registration Powers of Chief Electoral Officer vs. duties of political entities Update Terminology January 2007 Recommendation for Amendment to the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure (EFCD) Act Substantive 13. Regulation of leadership contests Recommendations for Amendments to the Election Act (The Act) Substantive 1. Anywhere Voting in the returning office and at advance polls Extending the hours of voting Additional days of advance voting Voter identification Rules of residence Persons with no fixed address Nomination deposits Secrecy iv -

9 9. Election void if candidate is found guilty of corrupt practice Safeguarding the Lists of Electors Inspection of poll books Testing new technologies and alternative methods Use of schools as voting places Employment leave for Returning Officers Candidate contributions to candidate s campaign Protection of elector information process for swearing in at the polls Protection of elector information Lists of Electors Protection of elector information scrutineers access Publication of polling place information Returning Officer availability Recommendations for Amendments to the Election Act (The Act) Housekeeping 21. Time for voting Reference to financial statement filing Candidate seals Inspection of election documents Election terminology Candidate to run in only one electoral division Recommendations for Amendments to the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure (EFCD) Act Substantive 1. Definition of contribution Auditing requirements for financial statements Reporting of candidate deficits and surpluses Borrowing Administrative penalties Penalty amount imposed by Chief Electoral Officer Accumulation of assets by new parties Candidate spending before the issuance of the Writ Regulation of third parties Recommendations for Amendments to the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure (EFCD) Act Housekeeping 10. Disclosure of financial activity Annual financial disclosure by party foundations Price paid in excess of market value Receipts for contributions Consequence of not filing financial statements Contact information for political entities Access to documents Missing words Section 48 heading v -

10 PARTICIPANTS AND RESULTS OF ELECTION Members Elected to the Twenty-seventh Legislative Assembly Candidate Summary of Results 2008 Election Summary of Results by Electoral Division List of Returning Officers HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE RESULTS Comparative Statistics General Elections 1979 to Candidate Summary of Results 1979 to Electoral Summary 1905 to VOTER TURNOUT STATEMENTS OF OFFICIAL RESULTS MAPS Calgary Edmonton Grande Prairie and Area Lethbridge and Area Medicine Hat and Area Red Deer and Area St. Albert and Area Sherwood Park and Area Alberta (foldout map) - vi -

11 REMARKS OF THE CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER When I accepted the position of Chief Electoral Officer two years ago, I was prepared for a challenge. The 2008 Provincial General Election did not disappoint me. Returning Officers and their staff members also met the myriad of challenges to make the election a success. They did an exemplary job, particularly when the increasing complexity of their role is considered. I hope that their duties, as identified in the following pages, will bring a better appreciation of the scope, breadth and importance of their responsibilities in running an election. Public debate over the Returning Officer appointment process occurred throughout the election period. While I see an urgent need for change in this area of electoral administration, it is because of the partisan nature of the process and is not a reflection of the character or integrity of the 83 Returning Officers who served Albertans in such an important way. There is another group that deserves our thanks. I commend the 15,000 election officers who accepted the challenge of working on the front lines of the democratic process. The work day is long and often fraught with challenges; still, they accepted the task from a sense of civic responsibility and a sincere commitment to community service. I am pleased to see that these ordinary Albertans, who performed so ably, are appreciated by the voters they served. A survey conducted in the weeks following the election revealed that 97% of voters found polling place staff to be helpful. All election officers should be proud of their stellar performance in the eyes of the voting public. This Report addresses, in detail, the concerns raised during the election. There are improvements that can be made with the proper tools some are administrative, while many are legislative. Recommendations for legislative change, if adopted, would improve all aspects of the electoral process. The 2008 Provincial General Election was run in accordance with existing election legislation. However, the legislation administered by this Office, both the Election Act and the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, are in dire need of contemporizing, in order to provide clear and meaningful direction to voters, election administrators and political participants. The legislation would benefit greatly from the types of changes being made in other provinces. Many of these changes were first proposed in 2006 and further changes are being proposed in this Report. Just as critical is the need for a plain language rewrite to facilitate understanding by all Albertans affected by our election laws

12 Despite the challenges, an overwhelming majority of voters who were surveyed postelection were content with their experience at the polls. In fact, 94% expressed satisfaction with their voting experience. The convenience of polling place locations, and the time required to vote, garnered even higher levels of satisfaction. This makes the many challenges worthwhile. Encouraging voter participation will continue to be a priority for us as it should be for other participants in the democratic process. New initiatives have been launched to increase democratic participation, particularly among youth, and we are committed to exploring additional avenues to increase involvement on the part of all Albertans. This is the important challenge we face and I look forward to leading the journey. Lorne R. Gibson Chief Electoral Officer - 2 -

13 Overview PREPARATION FOR THE ELECTION Election planning began well in advance of the election call (the issuance of the writs of election) on February 4, The early stages of preparation focused on review of statutory direction, acquisition of necessary election material and identification of human resources needed to ensure election readiness on a timely basis. Between October 31, 2006 and January 17, 2007, 104 recommendations for revisions to the Election Act and the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure (EFCD) Act were submitted to the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices and subsequently, at the Committee s direction, to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General. These recommendations were proposed to enable Elections Alberta to improve the service provided to electors. These recommendations were not adopted prior to the March 3, 2008 Provincial General Election. On May 19, 2006, the first formal request was made for the appointment of Returning Officers in accordance with section 9 of the Election Act (the Act). The budget presented to the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices on December 13, 2006 anticipated the possibility of a general election in the 2007/2008 fiscal year. The budget was approved as presented, on that date, allowing for the acquisition of necessary election material. The request for Returning Officer appointments was repeated on a number of occasions following budget approval, to allow for necessary training and the completion of pre-writ activities. Development of the Lists of Electors For over a decade, Elections Alberta has had legislative authority to produce Lists of Electors using a Register of Electors; a database of elector information which is continuously updated from a variety of sources. In spite of this, Alberta continued to be one of four provincial election offices that conducted a province-wide enumeration prior to each general election. Full-scale enumerations have become increasingly difficult to conduct. Electors have expressed concerns about personal safety and the possibility of identity theft. Enumerators have similar concerns about personal safety when going door to door. It is increasingly difficult to recruit a staff complement of the 6,000 to 7,000 enumerators that would be required to conduct a full enumeration, particularly given the current employment situation in the province. An increasing number of electors live in multi-residential facilities that prohibit access to anyone except residents. While section 29 of the Act provides statutory authority for - 3 -

14 enumerators to enter these premises, practical problems exist in arranging access within the enumeration period. New solutions to data collection were clearly needed. It was decided in 2006 to focus on the application of electronic updates to the Register of Electors database, in order to continuously improve data quality using an automated approach. Records of electors who had previously provided their information to Elections Alberta for the purpose of creating Lists of Electors had been regularly updated using a number of sources: Elections Canada provided elector data from the National Register of Electors, including additions and updates received from consenting electors income tax returns Service Alberta provided address updates for registered electors who hold Alberta driver s licences and Alberta identification cards Alberta Health and Wellness provided address updates for registered electors covered by the health insurance plan Service Alberta provided names of deceased Albertans, to allow for their deletion from future Lists of Electors Elector populations from the March 2005 and February 2008 Lists of Electors are compared in Table 1 to reflect the volume of additions between elections. Post-polling day Lists of Electors were issued in March 2005, subsequent to the 2004 provincial general election, in accordance with section 19(1) of the Act. Updates from the external data sources identified above were incorporated, on an ongoing basis, to produce Lists of Electors in November 2006, in accordance with Section 18(1)(a) of the Act. Updates continued to be incorporated to produce Lists of Electors in February 2008, in accordance with section 18(3) of the Act. An overview of update activities since the release of the March 2005 post-polling day Lists of Electors appears below: The number of names on the Lists of Electors grew by over 300,000, which represents a 15.1% increase. Alberta s total population increase for this period was 299,555; indicating that Register updates have kept pace with population growth*. Over this period, the following updates were incorporated into the Register of Electors: o over 400,000 additions included newly eligible electors, moves into the province, and electors who had been missed during the 2004 enumeration and election; o over 262,000 elector records had some element of their information changed or added to facilitate record matching and ongoing updates; o almost 230,000 elector records were moved to reflect changes of address locations within the province; o over 100,000 deletions reflected out of province moves and the removal of decedents and duplicate names; and o almost 90,000 new addresses were added. Net additions to the Lists of Electors, by electoral division, are shown on the following table. *Statistics Canada source data, prepared by Alberta Finance and Enterprise-Statistics in Alberta Population Reports, Third Quarter 2004 compared to First Quarter

15 Table 1: Lists of Electors Increases/Decreases Electoral Division March 2005 February 2008 Difference 01 Dunvegan-Central Peace 15,048 14, Calgary-Bow 26,997 30,847 3, Calgary-Buffalo 24,098 30,595 6, Calgary-Cross 22,026 26,576 4, Calgary-Currie 24,261 31,252 6, Calgary-East 22,463 26,762 4, Calgary-Egmont 26,988 30,616 3, Calgary-Elbow 25,683 30,360 4, Calgary-Fish Creek 25,955 28,692 2, Calgary-Foothills 27,272 32,402 5, Calgary-Fort 23,017 27,002 3, Calgary-Glenmore 25,536 28,225 2, Calgary-Hays 24,724 31,574 6, Calgary-Lougheed 26,033 32,007 5, Calgary-Mackay 27,887 34,811 6, Calgary-McCall 21,816 29,145 7, Calgary-Montrose 21,893 25,362 3, Calgary-Mountain View 27,085 32,779 5, Calgary-North Hill 22,779 27,437 4, Calgary-North West 32,615 40,435 7, Calgary-Nose Hill 23,233 26,775 3, Calgary-Shaw 26,120 30,992 4, Calgary-Varsity 25,617 29,658 4, Calgary-West 30,894 38,390 7, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview 23,311 27,230 3, Edmonton-Calder 23,226 27,033 3, Edmonton-Castle Downs 28,901 33,512 4, Edmonton-Centre 21,747 29,427 7, Edmonton-Decore 24,515 28,789 4, Edmonton-Ellerslie 23,319 27,873 4, Edmonton-Glenora 23,050 27,006 3, Edmonton-Gold Bar 25,002 29,164 4, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood 22,569 26,683 4, Edmonton-Manning 24,859 29,171 4, Edmonton-McClung 24,848 30,550 5, Edmonton-Meadowlark 23,572 27,907 4, Edmonton-Mill Creek 24,365 28,740 4, Edmonton-Mill Woods 23,100 26,924 3, Edmonton-Riverview 24,747 28,021 3, Edmonton-Rutherford 23,868 27,159 3, Edmonton-Strathcona 24,096 29,414 5,

16 Electoral Division March 2005 February 2008 Difference 42 Edmonton-Whitemud 31,027 38,576 7, Airdrie-Chestermere 29,938 35,734 5, Athabasca-Redwater 23,739 23, Banff-Cochrane 21,095 24,832 3, Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock 22,650 23,775 1, Battle River-Wainwright 20,190 20, Bonnyville-Cold Lake 18,022 19,288 1, Cardston-Taber-Warner 18,867 19, Cypress-Medicine Hat 21,887 24,406 2, Drayton Valley-Calmar 19,017 19, Drumheller-Stettler 20,571 21,690 1, Foothills-Rocky View 22,435 23,928 1, Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo 26,292 32,423 6, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville 24,655 26,464 1, Grande Prairie-Smoky 21,748 26,413 4, Grande Prairie-Wapiti 22,089 26,975 4, Highwood 23,281 26,864 3, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake 23,855 26,170 2, Lac La Biche-St. Paul 18,269 18, Lacombe-Ponoka 26,127 28,303 2, Leduc-Beaumont-Devon 26,661 30,315 3, Lesser Slave Lake 18,914 19, Lethbridge-East 26,150 29,295 3, Lethbridge-West 24,176 29,007 4, Little Bow 19,649 20, Livingstone-Macleod 22,253 22, Medicine Hat 25,459 29,126 3, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills 21,928 23,086 1, Peace River 16,993 17, Red Deer-North 22,276 27,854 5, Red Deer-South 27,146 33,261 6, Rocky Mountain House 21,339 21, Sherwood Park 26,309 27,882 1, Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert 27,435 30,989 3, St. Albert 28,731 32,414 3, Stony Plain 25,799 27,901 2, Strathcona 27,605 30,463 2, Strathmore-Brooks 25,368 28,155 2, Vermilion-Lloydminster 21,600 23,145 1, West Yellowhead 17,571 20,276 2, Wetaskiwin-Camrose 23,967 26,454 2, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne 20,625 21,673 1,048 Totals: 1,982,843 2,283, ,

17 Electors cooperation, through the sharing of necessary data, is critical to the production of high-quality Lists of Electors. Effective database management, which is essential to the production of viable Lists of Electors, is largely dependent on three elements: Accuracy of elector s name: matching of elector records is extremely difficult if an elector alternates between use of a given name and a nickname. If matching is not possible, updates provided by existing data sources cannot be used to update elector records to new addresses. Provision of elector s birth date: matching is extremely difficult if an elector does not provide a birth date, because of the frequency of duplicate names across the province. Again, if matching is not possible, updates provided by existing data sources cannot be used to update elector records to new addresses. Provision of elector s physical address and mailing address: electors are assigned to geographic areas called polling subdivisions. Mailing addresses, such as box numbers, do not allow for this geographic assignment. An elector who cannot provide a physical address location cannot be assigned to a polling subdivision and therefore cannot be added to the appropriate List of Electors. At the same time, many electors do not receive mail at a physical location address. It is necessary to have both addresses, if they are different, to allow for both polling subdivision assignment and contact by mail. Table 2: Information Contained in the Register of Electors Electoral Division % of Records with Birthdates % of Records with Gender % of Records with Telephone Number 01 Dunvegan-Central Peace 86.88% 95.06% 88.94% 02 Calgary-Bow 84.34% 91.31% 73.42% 03 Calgary-Buffalo 83.38% 79.47% 47.48% 04 Calgary-Cross 80.39% 85.18% 70.01% 05 Calgary-Currie 84.13% 85.00% 60.73% 06 Calgary-East 81.60% 89.49% 69.35% 07 Calgary-Egmont 94.51% 94.50% 88.00% 08 Calgary-Elbow 84.55% 90.66% 76.68% 09 Calgary-Fish Creek 92.47% 93.39% 91.21% 10 Calgary-Foothills 86.01% 91.44% 76.86% 11 Calgary-Fort 88.67% 90.16% 80.31% 12 Calgary-Glenmore 91.16% 94.76% 83.54% 13 Calgary-Hays 92.32% 94.62% 85.53% 14 Calgary-Lougheed 91.19% 93.91% 84.66% 15 Calgary-Mackay 86.93% 88.72% 77.06% 16 Calgary-McCall 77.07% 84.36% 66.29% 17 Calgary-Montrose 90.37% 91.57% 86.78% 18 Calgary-Mountain View 83.32% 88.01% 64.44% 19 Calgary-North Hill 85.88% 91.69% 70.56% 20 Calgary-North West 90.55% 92.52% 80.39% 21 Calgary-Nose Hill 88.19% 92.07% 79.74% - 7 -

18 Electoral Division % of Records with Birthdates % of Records with Gender % of Records with Telephone Number 22 Calgary-Shaw 93.95% 92.91% 87.30% 23 Calgary-Varsity 88.41% 90.80% 75.50% 24 Calgary-West 85.00% 88.44% 67.24% 25 Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview 86.64% 90.03% 72.25% 26 Edmonton-Calder 87.68% 89.12% 70.67% 27 Edmonton-Castle Downs 92.61% 93.52% 85.78% 28 Edmonton-Centre 87.98% 86.91% 62.86% 29 Edmonton-Decore 86.98% 90.12% 81.02% 30 Edmonton-Ellerslie 85.62% 88.92% 75.78% 31 Edmonton-Glenora 91.10% 91.30% 77.42% 32 Edmonton-Gold Bar 90.08% 90.93% 76.97% 33 Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood 86.08% 89.29% 68.92% 34 Edmonton-Manning 89.14% 88.21% 79.42% 35 Edmonton-McClung 90.54% 84.19% 71.33% 36 Edmonton-Meadowlark 87.40% 89.41% 72.73% 37 Edmonton-Mill Creek 87.37% 87.87% 82.60% 38 Edmonton-Mill Woods 90.31% 88.83% 74.66% 39 Edmonton-Riverview 89.57% 89.76% 76.62% 40 Edmonton-Rutherford 92.34% 92.34% 78.47% 41 Edmonton-Strathcona 82.82% 81.94% 57.23% 42 Edmonton-Whitemud 90.39% 91.31% 78.90% 43 Airdrie-Chestermere 86.10% 87.05% 74.75% 44 Athabasca-Redwater 93.24% 96.35% 90.49% 45 Banff-Cochrane 84.42% 89.74% 74.28% 46 Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock 93.47% 94.76% 88.23% 47 Battle River-Wainwright 91.14% 93.72% 89.50% 48 Bonnyville-Cold Lake 91.95% 94.52% 83.18% 49 Cardston-Taber-Warner 92.04% 96.49% 92.09% 50 Cypress-Medicine Hat 93.27% 95.66% 88.22% 51 Drayton Valley-Calmar 90.10% 91.78% 85.73% 52 Drumheller-Stettler 91.07% 93.69% 86.85% 53 Foothills-Rocky View 82.84% 91.72% 79.97% 54 Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo 89.70% 93.39% 71.88% 55 Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville 94.21% 95.75% 89.52% 56 Grande Prairie-Smoky 86.33% 90.13% 71.75% 57 Grande Prairie-Wapiti 89.78% 90.71% 78.61% 58 Highwood 91.89% 95.06% 86.81% 59 Innisfail-Sylvan Lake 94.95% 96.00% 90.53% 60 Lac La Biche-St. Paul 90.67% 94.21% 88.64% 61 Lacombe-Ponoka 89.35% 94.56% 86.29% 62 Leduc-Beaumont-Devon 92.61% 92.72% 88.24% 63 Lesser Slave Lake 70.13% 82.52% 56.02% - 8 -

19 % of Records with Birthdates % of Records with Gender % of Records with Telephone Number Electoral Division 64 Lethbridge-East 93.99% 95.64% 86.65% 65 Lethbridge-West 86.81% 90.77% 75.76% 66 Little Bow 87.96% 94.25% 84.32% 67 Livingstone-Macleod 72.07% 84.79% 70.11% 68 Medicine Hat 90.92% 93.89% 80.44% 69 Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills 84.13% 94.67% 82.46% 70 Peace River 87.14% 91.27% 81.50% 71 Red Deer-North 89.70% 91.02% 77.48% 72 Red Deer-South 91.02% 91.31% 80.90% 73 Rocky Mountain House 92.32% 95.30% 89.07% 74 Sherwood Park 94.98% 95.83% 92.14% 75 Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert 93.44% 94.19% 87.40% 76 St. Albert 89.90% 93.66% 85.13% 77 Stony Plain 86.89% 91.79% 80.32% 78 Strathcona 88.31% 92.49% 82.88% 79 Strathmore-Brooks 92.55% 94.13% 86.18% 80 Vermilion-Lloydminster 89.61% 96.08% 79.66% 81 West Yellowhead 84.56% 88.23% 72.51% 82 Wetaskiwin-Camrose 91.81% 93.98% 83.56% 83 Whitecourt-Ste. Anne 90.23% 92.76% 83.48% Totals: 88.55% 91.21% 78.69% In accordance with section 13(6) of the Act, gender and birth date information is used only for the maintenance and update of the Register of Electors. The data is not included on Lists of Electors for distribution to candidates or registered political parties. It is very important to emphasize that elector records can be matched only if electors can be identified. Refining the accuracy of elector information, collecting missing information and optimizing matching processes are key activities to improving the quality of Lists of Electors. Voterlink, the secure online registration system introduced in November 2007, allows electors to manage their own elector information to ensure accuracy and timeliness of personal data. An ongoing communications strategy has focused on the availability of this service (found at

20 Appointment of Returning Officers Sixty-five Returning Officers were appointed on December 19, 2007 by Order in Council 609/2007. On January 23, 2008, Order in Council 44/2008 appointed 20 Returning Officers and rescinded two previous appointments. On January 29, 2008, Order in Council 71/2008 appointed one Returning Officer and rescinded one previous appointment. On February 4, 2008, Order in Council 76/2008 appointed one Returning Officer and rescinded one previous appointment. On February 4, 2008, Order in Council 79/2008 directed the Chief Electoral Officer to issue Writs of Election to Returning Officers in 83 electoral divisions. Review of Lists of Electors and Mapping Resources Returning Officers provide critical local knowledge and are responsible for the development of polling subdivisions that will facilitate voting on polling day. In accordance with the Act, the elector population in each polling subdivision should not exceed 450. In addition, polling subdivision boundaries must respect communities of interest, typical travel patterns and polling place options. Population growth in the province necessitated the addition of over 300 polling subdivisions. One polling station is established for each polling subdivision to accommodate electors on polling day. This, in turn, translated into a requirement for the recruitment, deployment and supervision of more than 600 additional election officers for the 2008 election. Returning Officers were also responsible for the review, and necessary revision, of Lists of Electors to ensure consistency with the revised polling subdivision boundaries. This was a major challenge due to time constraints imposed by their late appointments, significant population growth and the availability of mailing addresses only in many rural communities. Revised polling subdivision maps and Lists of Electors based on the reconfigured boundaries were made available to registered political parties, in accordance with section 18(3) of the Act. The current List and map review process is largely a manual exercise at this time and, as such, is extremely time-consuming and labour-intensive. Implementation of a planned geographic information system will produce Lists of Electors and maps using a common data file containing individual address records and their assigned geographical locations. Increased timeliness, accuracy and consistency of the resources will be achieved through this initiative

21 Target Enumeration A target enumeration, originally planned for September of 2007, could not be conducted because there were no Returning Officers or enumerators appointed. Plans were then revised to have the enumeration commence immediately following the appointment of Returning Officers, particularly in areas of new growth and high mobility. Legislative authority for enumeration appears in section 21 of the Act. Some form of target enumeration is used by most election offices that prepare Lists of Electors from a permanent Register of Electors, to supplement the automated updates incorporated into the Register of Electors. Because of ongoing, significant growth in Alberta, it was projected that approximately 25% of the province would be contacted during the target enumeration process. The need for this volume of target enumeration was supported by a January 2007 List Quality survey conducted by an independent research and marketing firm. Survey results indicated that 76% of electors contained in the Register of Electors appeared at their current address. Based on that level of currency, it was apparent that the addresses of 24% of electors would have to be updated on the List of Electors. Target enumeration plans were implemented immediately following Returning Officer appointments in December, 2007 and January, Enumeration activities began on February 1 in 78 electoral divisions, and were scheduled to conclude on February 18. Of the five electoral divisions in which a target enumeration was not conducted, effects of the time constraints were an issue in four cases. A target enumeration was not conducted in Calgary-Elbow based on the Returning Officer s assessment that no substantial growth had occurred following the 2007 target enumeration and by-election in that electoral division. The priority for Returning Officers shifted to election period responsibilities three days into the target enumeration process when the election was called. As a result, target enumeration coverage was lower than planned. Over 170,000 elector records were moved, added or confirmed during the target enumeration period, which represents 7% of the elector population. Of these, almost 17,000 elector records were new additions. These additions, when combined with over 300,000 additions incorporated prior to the release of the February 2008 List of Electors, accounted for an increase of almost 320,000 electors names since the Lists of Electors were produced following the 2004 provincial general election. The following table illustrates target enumeration activity, including the number of updates and additions by electoral division

22 Electoral Division Table 3: Target Enumeration Activity Number of PSDs 1 Targeted Number of Enumerators Number of Elector Records Updated 2 Net Change 3 01 Dunvegan-Central Peace Calgary-Bow , Calgary-Buffalo Calgary-Cross Calgary-Currie Calgary-East 6 5 2, Calgary-Egmont , Calgary-Elbow Calgary-Fish Creek , Calgary-Foothills , Calgary-Fort Calgary-Glenmore , Calgary-Hays ,707 1, Calgary-Lougheed ,887 2, Calgary-Mackay ,105 2, Calgary-McCall , Calgary-Montrose 8 3 1, Calgary-Mountain View Calgary-North Hill 9 7 1, Calgary-North West Calgary-Nose Hill Calgary-Shaw , Calgary-Varsity , Calgary-West , Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview , Edmonton-Calder , Edmonton-Castle Downs , Edmonton-Centre Edmonton-Decore Edmonton-Ellerslie 8 7 2, Edmonton-Glenora , Edmonton-Gold Bar 9 8 1, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood Edmonton-Manning Edmonton-McClung ,512 1, Edmonton-Meadowlark , Edmonton-Mill Creek 6 5 1, Edmonton-Mill Woods Edmonton-Riverview , Edmonton-Rutherford 7 5 1, Edmonton-Strathcona 9 9 1, Edmonton-Whitemud ,380 2, Airdrie-Chestermere ,172 1, Athabasca-Redwater 4 4 1, Banff-Cochrane

23 Electoral Division Number of PSDs 1 Targeted Number of Enumerators Number of Elector Records Updated 2 Net Change 3 46 Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock , Battle River-Wainwright Bonnyville-Cold Lake Cardston-Taber-Warner , Cypress-Medicine Hat , Drayton Valley-Calmar , Drumheller-Stettler 4 4 1, Foothills-Rocky View Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo , Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville , Grande Prairie-Smoky Grande Prairie-Wapiti Highwood , Innisfail-Sylvan Lake , Lac La Biche-St. Paul Lacombe-Ponoka , Leduc-Beaumont-Devon ,180 1, Lesser Slave Lake Lethbridge-East , Lethbridge-West , Little Bow , Livingstone-Macleod ,762 1, Medicine Hat , Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Peace River Red Deer-North 9 8 2, Red Deer-South ,859 1, Rocky Mountain House , Sherwood Park , Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert ,128 1, St. Albert , Stony Plain , Strathcona 8 6 1, Strathmore-Brooks , Vermilion-Lloydminster , West Yellowhead Wetaskiwin-Camrose Whitecourt-Ste. Anne Totals: 1, ,729 16,833 1 Number of polling subdivisions targeted, in whole or in part. 2 Number of electors added, revised, deleted and confirmed during the target enumeration and revision period. 3 Net changes (additions and deletions) during the target enumeration and revision period

24 Prior to beginning the target enumeration, and in accordance with section 23(2) of the Act, each Returning Officer was required to contact two constituency associations by registered mail to request names of prospective enumerators (one constituency association established by the political party forming the Government and one established by the political party, not forming the Government, that received the highest or second-highest number of votes at the 2004 Provincial General Election). In most cases, Returning Officers did not receive recommendations from constituency associations and recruited enumerators independently. The legal requirement to contact constituency associations wasted valuable time in trying to recruit qualified enumerators. Once a sufficient number of qualified enumerators was found, Returning Officers began their training, using standardized resources provided by Elections Alberta. Returning Officers used the Lists of Electors and mapping resources they had prepared to develop customized target enumeration plans identifying areas in greatest need of enumeration. They received guidelines from Elections Alberta to ensure consistency across the province, and were given the flexibility to identify additional target areas that would create the best possible List of Electors in each unique electoral division. Some areas identified in the guidelines for target enumeration included: Residential areas developed since 2004 Rental facilities with high turnover Residences on military bases Residences established to accommodate students who are ordinarily resident in post-secondary institutions Supportive living facilities, as identified in the Act When target enumeration areas were identified, Returning Officers received preprinted enumeration records for use by enumerators. The preprinted records were used to confirm, revise, delete and add elector information. In new areas and other situations where previous elector information was not available, address information was preprinted onto the enumeration records to facilitate data collection and ensure thorough coverage. Enumeration records were revised to capture electors previous addresses to allow for updates to their existing records in the Register of Electors. This new requirement is important to the target enumeration process, since effective data management requires that an elector is both added at a current address and deleted from a previous address. This requirement added a new layer of complexity to the computerized Register of Electors system from a standpoint of programming, training, data entry and process management by Returning Officers

25 A number of resources were available to assist electors. Enumerators carried a translation sheet which explained the purpose of their visit in thirteen different languages. This proved extremely useful in overcoming language barriers to collect information. We Missed You cards were left at residences visited by enumerators to encourage electors to arrange for inclusion of their names on the List of Electors. For the first time, electors were given the option of self-registration using the secure online registration system, Voterlink. Electors who provided information were left a Thank You card which advised them of the purpose of the data collection, including notice that their information could be shared with municipal and federal electoral agencies for electoral purposes. The cards also provided the Returning Officer s name and telephone number to give electors the opportunity to ask questions or voice concerns. If the enumerator visited after polling places had been confirmed by the Returning Officer, polling place information was also included. Electors who could not be contacted were encouraged to have their names added to the List of Electors prior to polling day. Advertising directed electors to contact their Returning Officer between Saturday, February 9 and Saturday, February 23. Returning Officers were available throughout this period to accept additions to the List of Electors: from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Returning Officers offered extended hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, February 21 to accommodate electors who wished to have their names added to the Lists of Electors prior to the opening of the advance polls. Challenges The rapid growth in Alberta is a significant challenge to maintaining a current and complete List of Electors. An estimated population increase in excess of 10% has occurred since 2004 (source: Alberta Electoral Division Profiles for 2004 and 2008 by Alberta Finance and Enterprise - Statistics). This increase is particularly apparent in some electoral divisions: Calgary-North West, for example, increased by 54% in population between 2004 and Time constraints were a challenge for Elections Alberta and Returning Officers across the province. Returning Officers in 82 electoral divisions were appointed between two and seven weeks prior to the commencement of the election period, resulting in an abbreviated timeframe to train and prepare Returning Officers and enumerators. The time constraints posed particular challenges for the 45 first-time Returning Officers, especially the 20 appointed less than two weeks prior to the commencement of the election period. By contrast, the majority of Returning Officers were appointed 13 months before the 2004 provincial general election. In addition to attending training and reviewing their polling subdivision maps and Lists of Electors, Returning Officers are responsible for recruitment of an Election Clerk and

26 Administrative Assistant, two key staff members who assist them in their responsibilities throughout the election period. Locating appropriate office space was another major challenge in the short time available during the pre-election period, as was the identification of potential polling places, particularly in newly developed areas. The time of year was not conducive to hiring a group of enumerators to go door to door. Low temperatures, coupled with a very low unemployment rate, made recruitment difficult. Security concerns were raised by electors and enumerators alike, given the shortage of daylight hours during which enumeration could take place